SK Group's Chey says AI data center collaboration with global tech giants accelerating

Interview at Ulsan Forum

Chey also stresses Korea-Japan cooperation in energy sector

SK chairman has attended Ulsan Forum four times since its launch

This year's forum centered on building AI business models

'Must create structure where AI generates revenue that feeds back into investment'

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (center) speaks during the closing session of the 2026 Ulsan Forum at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on Friday. [SK Group]

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Friday that collaboration with global big tech companies on AI data centers is moving at a remarkably fast pace.

SK Innovation building electrification solutions for AI data centers

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 2026 Ulsan Forum at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, Chey said it has been less than a year since the data center plan was announced, adding that both he personally and the company continue to meet with big tech firms.

SK is building an AI data center in Ulsan to respond to global AI trends. The Ulsan facility is the first site in SK's plan to develop 15 GW of AI infrastructure nationwide. Construction is underway with Amazon Web Services, with a target launch date of late next year. The construction investment alone amounts to 7 trillion won ($5.23 billion).

"The Ulsan data center has secured nearly 900 MW," Chey said. "SK Innovation is developing electrification solutions needed for AI data centers and has investment plans with many partners to expand those solutions."

On Saturday, Chey visited the AI data center construction site as well as SK Innovation's Ulsan CLX (complex), where AI transformation is underway. It marked three months since he declared a management overhaul centered on AI transformation at the New Icheon Forum in June.

"At Ulsan CLX, I observed AI solutions that employees had built themselves and watched how they were demonstrated," he said. "The speed at which AI is spreading is moving quite fast."

Chey said cooperation with Japan is needed in the energy sector, which he described as a key driver of AI. "Japan and Korea each import around $14 billion worth of energy annually," he said. "If the two countries jointly purchase, stockpile and use energy, there are savings to be made."

He added that energy purchase contracts typically run 20 years, making sudden wholesale changes impossible, but said there is clear room for collaboration in the energy sector. Looking further ahead, he said the scope of cooperation could expand from renewable energy to hydrogen and nuclear power.

'Manufacturing AI success rate rises when data platform is in place'

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (far left) tours the exhibition hall of the Ulsan World Future Industry Expo (WAVE 2026), held in conjunction with the 2026 Ulsan Forum at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on Friday. [SK Group]

Chey has attended the Ulsan Forum four times since it launched in 2022, each time introducing a new theme — this year, AI transformation. He also toured the exhibition hall of the Ulsan World Future Industry Expo (WAVE 2026), held alongside the forum.

Reflecting on the forum, Chey said he believes it has established itself as a platform over the past four years. "I hope it serves as an engine that gathers ideas and thoughts through a single platform and drives regional development," he said.

At this year's forum, Chey stressed the need to build AI business models. "We have been talking about speed, scale and safety as AI trends, but now we need to talk about AI business models and sustainability," he said.

He went on to say that many companies have poured enormous investment into AI and worry it could fizzle out like a bubble without generating returns. "Right now, companies are investing without looking ahead or behind," he said. "Ultimately, what matters is creating a sustainable model where AI generates revenue that can then be reinvested."

Chey also said speed and scale matter in building data platforms. "Manufacturing AI requires technology and must raise productivity, but that is not easy without a large-scale data platform," he said. "Scaling up the necessary data is not just Ulsan's problem — it is a national one for Korea, and getting this right first is what raises the odds of success for manufacturing AI."

'Ulsan must reinvent itself as an AI city'

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (seventh from left), Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk (eighth from left), Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Lee Yun-cheol (sixth from left) and other key attendees pose for a photo at the 2026 Ulsan Forum at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on Friday. [SK Group]

Chey laid out a vision for Ulsan as an AI city, pointing to an initiative he called "AI for Everyone" — an AI agent SK is developing for citizens. Its core functions include a general-purpose chatbot that delivers personalized public services, welfare benefits and lifestyle information, and an action-oriented AI agent that fulfills user requests by linking services across administration, transportation and healthcare.

"The Ulsan of the future must take the shape of an AI city," Chey said. "We need to advance manufacturing AI by adding technology, manufacturing solutions and data, raise the happiness of Ulsan's citizens through AI for Everyone, and move toward an industrial city enriched with culture and the arts."

Amid growing concern that AI advances could lead to workforce reductions, Chey said talent must develop what he called "four muscles" to survive in the AI era. The four muscles he described are: a thinking muscle for judging the essence of a problem; an adaptation muscle for making new choices even after failure; an empathy muscle for understanding human emotions; and body skills for creating value through physical activity.

"Talented people need to stop worrying about building up their credentials, and companies need to move away from hiring based on conventional résumé qualifications," he said. "How one understands and approaches AI will determine success."

The Ulsan Forum drew the CEOs of SK Group's major affiliates, including SK Telecom President Jeong Jae-heon, SK GAS President Yoon Byeong-seok, SK Enmove President Kim Won-gi, SK Energy and SK Geocentric President Kim Jong-hwa, SK Discovery President Son Hyeon-ho and SKC President Kim Jong-woo, in addition to Chey. About 10,900 Ulsan residents, including university students and citizens, participated in person or online — 5.7 times the attendance of last year and the highest on record.

Forum participants took part in two sessions: one on physical AI and manufacturing AI transformation, and another on AI for Everyone and smart local development in Ulsan. Discussions covered strategies for accelerating AI transformation in Ulsan's manufacturing sector, centered on companies operating on the ground, as well as a vision for how AI embedded in daily life could address community challenges and build a regional AI ecosystem.

yeongdai@heraldcorp.com